


aftermath

by delia_ashes



Series: Essek AU [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: BIG ONES, Espionage, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Rating May Change, Shit Hits The Fan, Slow Burn, Spoilers, and once again, more specifically - Freeform, there will be
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:14:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23696011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delia_ashes/pseuds/delia_ashes
Summary: The Bright Queen gives two orders to Essek Thelyss on the same day, two orders that shake the foundation of his world.He supposes it could have gone worse.Or: I continue with an AU conceived months ago because I have Some Things written and they are asking me to be shared. We'll see where this goes; I have very little idea what I'm doing.
Series: Essek AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706458
Comments: 25
Kudos: 114





	1. 1. scramble

**Author's Note:**

> So! We're firmly canon-divergent at this point, and frankly, my long-term plan for this fic revolves around whether it even gains any traction. In other words, there is no plan for this fic, because I am bad at such things. But hey, it's past my bedtime and I'm in quarantine and I refuse to make good decisions at this hour. Let's have some fun!

"You need to leave. Now."

It was a credit to the Nein that they acted _fast_ , the Xhorhaus ( _ridiculous_ name) bursting into a veritable hurricane of preparation, only Nott staying behind to demand answers. As quickly as he could—for once, Nott didn't interrupt him, her face deadly serious—he explained to her that the Nein had been deemed too volatile, too dangerous and risky an endeavor to be allowed to live.

_He had seen the pain in the Bright Queen's eyes as she gave the order, the regret in the look she gave him, but he knew it was what she considered a necessary decision._

_And, for the first time in his life, it was a decision with which he disagreed wholeheartedly._

_But she had met with him privately afterward, and he would not soon forget the bracing look in her eyes when she nailed him with a severe, no-nonsense sort of look._

_"Essek Thelyss, you are to be sent on a long-term espionage mission into the Empire itself."_

_He had been confused._

_"Before that happens, the defectors known as the Mighty Nein are certainly not to be allowed to escape from Xhorhas. And should they escape, you are under strict orders not to attempt to meet up with the Nein or, Luxon forbid, enlist their help with this mission."_

_She truly was the greatest leader this world had ever known._

_"But the Nein must not be allowed to escape, for if they did, we could not spare the resources needed to pursue them. The amulet their wizard wears prevents scrying and tracking. We'd have to just let them go and try to ensure that they didn't interact with Dwendalian leadership, rather than sending anyone to track down such a flighty group. Do you understand?"_

_Luxon above,_ this _was why he served her unconditionally. "Of course," he'd said, smooth, with a small bow and a quiet smirk. "I understand fully."_

_She smiled at him, radiant and serene. "Your file has been delivered to your home. You will leave two days after the Mighty Nein are eliminated."_

So here he was, two hours before the soldiers were supposed to arrive, _definitely_ not at the request of his queen, telling the now-fugitives that they all had to leave immediately.

Nott's face was a little bit priceless.

"You could be here to betray us," she said, hands twitching for her crossbow. "You—"

"If I were following orders to kill you all, Nott the Brave, the clerics would already be mangled heaps on the ground, the warlock and your wizard would be bleeding out, and you and the monk would follow shortly afterward."

It was a blunt statement, but the Nein were fluent in bluntness, and it seemed to assuage Nott. She nailed him with an assessing, fierce sort of look, and he waited—oddly nervous—for what felt like some sort of verdict.

"You've been told to come with us?"

"By secret order of Her Majesty, yes."

She turned away from him to call upstairs. "Caduceus!?"

"Yes?" Came the calm, grim answer.

"Is Essek going to kill us all after we escape?"

A pause.

"...No."

Nott turned back to him. Essek realized he was holding his breath.

"Welcome to the Mighty Nein."


	2. 2. shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Files are opened, discussions are had, and an angsty wizard (the purple one this time) begins to come to terms with his situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some clarifications! This AU takes place after the Angel of Irons arc but before the current arc (with the peace talks and whatnot). In other words, the Nein kick ass at the Citadel but aren't given the opportunity to negotiate for peace, and after noting the fact that they met with the wholeass king, the powers-that-be in the Dynasty decide they're too much of a wild card. Also... we're ignoring the recent revelations about Essek, not because I don't think they're amazing, gut-wrenching plot devices, but because I came up with this foolery months ago before I knew any of it.
> 
> Also, hey, you people have warmed my heckin heart with the response to this fic, goddamn.
> 
> Aight now that that's out of the way—please enjoy!

The entire house was stripped of every important personal effect within fifteen minutes; even the rather large collection of books in the Mighty Nein's library was neatly sorted into piles secured with twine and packed away in what Essek recognized as a Bag of Holding.

Essek had stood, mute, in the foyer, while the world seemed to fade into a blur of brightly colored outfits and terse, accented voices.

_ "Should we take the string lights?" Jester asked, looking up at Caduceus's placid face. _

_ The firbolg cocked his head. "No, leave them on the tree. Let the people here keep some of us with them. It'll help later, I think." _

_ "Later?" Beau interjected. _

_ "Well, yeah," Caduceus said as if it were obvious. "We'll be coming back eventually, and they'll need to be... remembering us for something lovely while we're away. It'll make things better." _

There had been questions, and he had answered as briefly and accurately as he could, feeling detached and a little strange—sweaty and chilled all at once; an instinct to move, to run, but he remained rooted to the spot—

Afraid. It had been fear then, and that was what it was now, as Essek paced his study—floating, of course; it was a bad pain day—fear that his friends would not be alright. And fear that, since they were his  _ friends _ , he had gotten too attached and it would somehow doom them all.

_ Fjord piped up—“Will they come after us, afterward?” _

_ Beau paused to listen as well as Essek replied, “The queen said we couldn’t spare the resources; you all are… vexing, to say the least. But I would not be surprised if there were at least a few assassins after you in the first week or two. Survive them and I suspect the council will decide they’ve got bigger priorities.” _

_ Beau grimaced. “And you can’t be seen with us, either, you probably can’t even fight with us when they come.” _

_ Essek nodded. “I am able to remain disguised, but it still looks suspicious if you gain a member just after your keeper here leaves.” _

_ “Not ideal, man,” Beau said. _

_ Essek finally looked her in the face. “I’ll find a way.” _

_ Her sharp blue eyes bored into his.  _ “We’ll _ find a way. That’s how this works. You’ve got our back and all that, but we’ve got yours too.” _

He wondered if she knew that no one had ever offered to watch his back in a very, very long time.

The file was still unopened on his desk, and he grabbed it just to do something with his hands, flipped it open. The material inside was handwritten in a script he’d only ever seen in one place—Leylas Kryn’s signature at the bottom of his assignments. But this was not a signature; this was a full set of instructions, all in the queen’s hand.

_ The transmission of this information to any parties but those discussed previously is high treason, punishable by death. Should you be discovered, you will be disavowed. Keep this file where it may not be seen or procured by any who search your person. _

That was standard procedure, even if it did evoke flashbacks of older times, when he was doing significantly less desk work.

_ This is the only record of this mission’s existence. _

That was not standard procedure.

_ Steal the remaining Beacon from the Cerberus Assembly and end this war. _

For the first time in years, Essek spoke without thinking.

“FUCK—”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, beautiful! Criticism and validation are equally treasured.


	3. 3. seaward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made, and Fjord has to go shopping again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. woah y'all the response to this has seriously been heartwarming, thanks for hanging out. much love.  
> 2\. Caleb uses Zemnian pet names liberally; I'll fight for this one.  
> 3\. Here we go, people.

“Fuuuuuuck, fuck fuck fuck—”

“Okay, just about everything is packed up, guys—are we ready to move?” Beau’s bark resounded through the house as Caleb checked and re-checked his pockets, counted and re-counted, everything was packed, yes.

“Ja, I’m good—”

“Yes, let’s move it—”

“One second, you guys—”

And so it went for the next minute, as Caleb made his way down, drawing out his chalks.

And so he knelt on the floor of the house they’d been given, as the group gathered around him, faces set and grave. As Caleb began to sketch on the floor, one circle, two, the first set of runes, he heard a quiet sound above him, glanced up.

Jester was crying.

“I just… thought we found a place, you know?” she whispered. “Somewhere where none of us would be afraid to show our faces, and we could be—just—us.”

Where Nott wouldn’t have to hide behind her mask, where Caleb could shave and clean his face, where all of them could breathe for once.

Caleb met Jester’s eyes, but he didn’t have anything to say that would help. So he just nodded, and then looked around at the rest of the group, huddled around the place where he knelt. “Ready?”

“We don’t have a choice but to be ready,” Jester whispered.

He looked back over to her again. “All the same,  _ schatzi _ . Are you ready?”  _ I—we—would stay if you needed us to, _ was what he didn’t say.  _ We would find a way to fight for our place here.  _ All of them, he thought, would do quite a lot for Jester Lavorre.

But the tiefling he had begun to call by the pet name Eodwulf had used in letters to his little sister just squared her shoulders and said “I’m ready.”

The rest of the group echoed, and he drew the last line, and the world dissolved into wind and shadow.

“...Ah, fuck, didn’t call ahead. Sorry—yeah, don’t shoot, just us, yeah—yep—sorry.”

Archivist Zeenoth, needless to say, was mildly exasperated when they stopped by his office, but there was something like fondness on his face. “Expositor Beauregard, as you know, your quarters are available should you need lodging. If that’s all, I ask that you leave me to my reading.”

“Sure thing,” Beau had said. “Ah—thanks.” The elf had just smiled faintly and waved them off.

They convened in Beauregard’s room, the aforementioned along with Jester and Nott immediately hopping up on the bed. “That went well,” Fjord said. “You think they’ll buy the note?”

The fragment of paper proclaiming imminent danger to the Nein, in handwriting that was decidedly not Essek’s, smears across the paper indicating a left-handed writer when the Shadowhand favored his right, singed at the edges and placed by the fireplace.

And the house they’d left rather tossed, a couple inconsequential belongings left behind, like they’d left in a hurry, in a panic. The scorched remnants of a teleportation circle highly visible in the foyer.

It wasn’t an airtight job, but Caleb found himself saying “ _ Ja _ , I do. It fits with their… expectations of us. Pays to be underestimated, I suppose.”

A moment passed before Nott piped up. “So what do we do now? We find—”

“We find the Gentlemen and check in, ‘cause he’s a useful contact, I see if I can get one of those rings like Dairon had so we can hide Essek, stock up at Pumat’s, and then get the fuck out before they realize where we went,” Beau finished.

“Not a bad plan,” Fjord said. “Considering we made it in five minutes. Where do we go, though?”

Another pause. Then—“We go where we always go when things go to shit,” Beau said. “All our allies are in Nicodranas, and we can get on the boat, where we’ll be harder to track.”

Smart, smart woman. “You are on a roll,” Caleb said. “We’ll do that, unless anyone sees a problem?” No one did.

“Okay!” Nott said. “Caleb, how much longer until they rid the Xhorhouse?”

“Ah, hang on, with the time change it is…  _ Ja _ , just less than an hour and a half. Then they find the circle, contact Essek because he is the most likely to know our location, and he tells them we probably went to Zadash, and then the jig is up.”

“So we have to be hidden somewhere they can’t quickly find us in the next hour or so, that’s probably at the Gentleman’s,” Fjord said. “Now I’m sure this will go perfectly well, but we’re gonna have to split up. One crew goes to the Pentamarket for Pumat’s latest, at least some potions, Beau and maybe one other stay here to talk to Dairon, and one crew to the Gentleman to explain our situation and what we need.”

Nods all around. “Jester, you should go to the Gentleman,” Nott said. “That one’s obvious. Yasha, you could go with as a kind of bodyguard or something; the two of you should be able to scare off any trouble. Beau… Caduceus stays with Beau, so that the smaller teams have healers, just in case?”

“Yep,” Beau said. “That leaves Caleb, Nott, and Fjord to go to Pumat’s.”

“Nott,” Jester sighed dramatically. “I will miss negotiating together. We are so good at it.”

“You know,” Nott said, “Maybe I should go with the Gentleman team—”

“Nope,” said Fjord.

“Why n—”

“Nope.”

_ “Why not?” _

“Because I’m about to be taken shopping, and I need your indefatigable charm to keep me sane.”

“I  _ am _ very charming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, dear! Criticism and validation equally appreciated.


	4. 4. search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A house is searched, and a spymaster contemplates the boatload of shit he's gotten himself into.

Essek Thelyss had not been seen going to or from the Rosohna residence of the Mighty Nien (Teleport was an invaluable spell). They had a plan to go to Zadash and quickly vacate the city, ensuring that their own trail went cold while still giving Essek the opportunity to demonstrate his lack of attachment to them by pointing their pursuers in what was technically the right direction. And then they would message him when they were safe, and work out a rendezvous, and then they’d be relatively safe.

That was a reasonably solid plan. In fact,  _ creating solid plans _ was the main reason that Essek had gotten to where he was, had risen from a capable spy to a veritable mastermind in record time.  _ That scheming mind is your greatest asset, _ Dierta Thelyss had said after his first promotion.  _ The most powerful spells and the mightiest warriors are not nearly so valuable as cunning. _ Good advice, and quite on-brand for that particular serpent.

Essek had built a career and a life on being able to devise solid plans quickly and reliably, even in the face of distinctly awful odds.

_ Steal the remaining Beacon from the Cerberus Assembly and end this war. _

He didn’t even know where to start. The Cerberus Assembly contained the most powerful mages on the continent, much to the ire of, well, every other powerful mage on the continent. And they’d have it thoroughly,  _ thoroughly _ protected.

_ Steal the remaining Beacon from the Cerberus Assembly and end this war. _

How the hell did one steal such an artifact without further incensing the people who’d stolen it in the first place? Would the Empire even retaliate? Intelligence on the Beacons had been notoriously fucking impossible to obtain, so nobody really knew how much value the Empire really put in them. They almost certainly had no idea what a Beacon could do with the proper rituals and whatnot, but that didn’t change the fact that they were (Essek grimaced) incredibly intelligent people.

_ Think, Thelyss. Work the problem. _

Their abodes, their castle, their workplaces—all of them had been identified and some had been rudimentarily mapped, the information having come at a steep price. And all of them were practically impenetrable. Too many wards to pass without exhausting an intruder—if not completely, then to the point that they were easy pickings in an actual fight.

Essek kept pacing.

Why such an impossible task? Essek’s repertoire had never included combat or thievery, and he hadn’t been in the field in years and years. And he alone—

Ah.

_ “The Mighty Nein—” _

It took him far too long to realize that the words were not only in his own head.

_ “Shadowhand, the Mighty Nein are gone from their residence. There’s a teleportation sigil on the front and the house is tossed.” _

Once again, it took a beat too long to collect himself and respond, to draw up the jittery nervousness he was already feeling and channel it, to mold it into grim urgency.

“That is… most distressing; I will be there momentarily,  _ touch nothing on the scene. _ This is precisely what we were afraid of.” For some reason, he felt Jester’s presence, compelling him to add the final, unnecessary three words. “On my way.”

It was a three-minute ride in a coach to the Xhorhaus, and Essek was fidgeting with the edge of his sleeve the entire time. This was, in theory, all too easy—he was the best liar in the country, after all—but at the same time… well, it had been a while since he’d been in the field, and he’d forgotten what it felt like when stakes were high and success was resting on his shoulders (or, more accurately, on his silver tongue).

But even through the nerves and the stakes—there was something a little satisfying, a little nostalgic, in the way he glided quicker than normal up to the door of the house, using a well-placed bit of graviturgy to slam the door open with such force that it is nearly knocked off its hinges.

_ “How does this happen?” _ Essek so rarely used that voice, the booming resonant one that silenced council rooms and  _ made _ people listen, but that was what made it so damn effective. Every Aurora Watch warrior and guard in the room halted and fell silent.

To the credit of the captain in the room—a tall woman he recognized as Aodwyn VaSuun, one of the younger members of her Den and a particularly promising one at that—she didn’t flinch, didn’t freeze. Instead, she was already moving, stepping around the scorched teleportation circle on the floor with a bracing, no-nonsense sort of look.

“Thank you for your quick arrival, Shadowhand, I know you’re busy. As you’ve heard, the house is a bit of a mess, most of the personal belongings apparently gone, and honestly it seems like they left in a panic; you can obviously see the method of departure.”

He matched her expression and tone. “Any insight into what tipped them off?”

“This, in the corner of the fireplace.” She handed him the note, much of it singed off but he recognized Beau’s threaded scrawl, smeared to the right as if it had been written by someone left-handed.

_ —must leave immediately. I won’t be able to contact you again for a while; they’ll know you were tipped off and I’ll have to go silent. Be safe, please. _

Essek hissed a quiet curse, tried to inject more frustration into his tone.  _ This is a disaster,  _ he reminded himself. “I don’t presume that we’re lucky enough that any of us recognize the handwriting?”

“Not so lucky, no.”

“Well, it’s our best lead in any case. Get a caster to look at this so they can replicate it with an illusion for those who need to see it, no? And this can be taken to the Lens offices in the Bastion.”

“Already on it—our mage Juriel is on his way back with a report and he has that capability.”

“Good work.” It was real surprise and respect that crept into his voice.

“Thank you. Our immediate question is where they went, which is why we called you. Any idea where they’d go first?”

_ Hope you’re out of the city.  _ “The sigils their wizard knows are likely affiliated with the Cobalt Soul; they have centers in Port Damali, Rexxentrum, and Zadash. Also Vasselheim and Westruun, though they’ve never mentioned connections there… they’ve also mentioned a library in Uthodurn. If I had to guess, Captain, I would suspect they departed to Zadash; that’s their typical, ah… base of operations within the Empire.”

“Shit,” Aodwyn said. “We cannot exactly follow them there.”

“Another reason for them to go there first.”

She grimaced, and Essek so clearly saw it—this was her chance, probably her first high-profile assignment, and it had been a disaster.

And Essek’s job was to keep up the ruse even when it had consequences, but—but he had been precisely where Aodwyn had been, and he knew what it was to be an upstart.

Maybe it was the way he could see Jester’s face pouting in the back of his head at Aodwyn’s fate, maybe it was Beau’s grimace or Caleb’s quiet, pained eyes. Or maybe it was a younger Essek Thelyss, back when he had still needed to prove himself.

Whatever it was, it had him saying, “Ah, Captain… this debacle is the fault of whoever failed to root out the Nein’s informant. You and your forces have performed commendably, and I shall personally ensure that the reports regarding all of this reflect that.”

“Thank you, Shadowhand.” She didn’t say more, but her eyes flashed with a mixture of relief, gratitude, and wariness. He simply nodded in response, and deliberately pushed out a heavy sigh, let a little strain show on his face.

“Alright, Captain, I like the way you’ve handled this so far, so you’ll continue to do that. Get that note to the Lens office along with anything else you deem important. I’ll alert a Wraith to the case, see if we cannot figure out who our mole is. Should you need anything, leave me a message at the Lens offices and I will see to it personally. In the meantime… speak with the Taskhand and see if he has a Specter or several to spare, and I’ll see if another Wraith can get a track on them in Zadash.”

Aodwyn returned the nod, but paused. “Shadowhand, these… people.”

“Yes?”

“Did they seem like a threat?”

Dangerous words to be speaking, especially from one so untested. But audacity had its advantages, especially when one’s timing was good and especially from one prodigy to another.

“If I am being honest,” he began, and Aodwyn chuckled at the irony. “They are… unwieldy. Chaotic. They have their own agenda, and they worked with us because it happened to align somewhat with ours. That, ah… did not sit well with the Queen and Council.”

“But?” Her eyes were piercing.

“But they gave us a Beacon for next to nothing. And when we told them what it did, the Empire did not receive that information. And the layout of our defenses did not reach their generals. And the details of our magic were not betrayed to their Assembly.”

She gave him a long, quiet look. “Then I am sorry, Shadowhand.”

“At the end of the day, my loyalty was never to them,” he said, and the statement was unexpectedly heavy, awkward in his gut. Old Gods, what a mess this was.

He wrapped up with Aodwyn shortly thereafter and rode back home, thoughts still blurring. As soon as he was through the door (and the incorporated wards), he cast a quick  _ detect magic _ , and, once satisfied that he was not about to ruin everything, fished out a copper wire.

“They’ve come through your house and found everything. The search for you in Zadash will commence in minutes. Are you all out of the city?”

It was exactly eight seconds before the reply came; Caleb’s voice was quiet but didn’t display any particular urgency.  _ “Not yet, but we’re somewhere safe and we can get out discreetly. Nicodranas is the rendezvous; find the Lavish Chateau.” _ A pause.  _ “Good to hear from you.” _

In spite of the tension in his shoulders, Essek found himself loosing a relieved breath.

Besides, Nicodranas was supposed to be warm this time of year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, love! Criticism and validation equally appreciated.


End file.
